


Coffee and Conundrums

by MagicMagpie



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Bad Flirting, Flirting, Goro is just so out of touch with his emotions, He's sick and tired of these kids' antics, M/M, Romantic Tension, Sexual Tension, Sojiro slowly starts to feel awkward when these two are together, idk how else to tag this, only mild but still
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:00:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25241302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagicMagpie/pseuds/MagicMagpie
Summary: Goro Akechi didnotlike Akira Kurusu. His fluffy hair and pretty eyes and smooth voice had no effect on Gorowhatsoever.Why Akira's coffee sent him to Heaven, he had no clue.Day Two for Soft Goro Week!
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Amamiya Ren, Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist
Comments: 6
Kudos: 158





	Coffee and Conundrums

The bell chimed for what was probably the third time that evening, and Goro’s attention once again snapped to the door. He expected to be disappointed yet again, but no, Akira _finally_ walked through the door, cat in his bag and umbrella in hand.  
  
“Welcome home,” he said, because he’d been waiting here for a while and he’d appreciate being acknowledged. Akira looked up at him and broke out into a grin.  
  
“Honey, I’m home!” He said, complementing it with an overly-flirty wink. It was _really stupid_ , and Goro really shouldn’t have laughed at his asinine antics.  
  
“You’re back awfully late,” he replied, giving him his most charming smile. Okay, maybe _his_ humour was equally bad. Made sense.  
  
“So, what brings you to these parts, detective?” Akira asked, and by the tone of his voice he was probably trying to be flirty, except the effect he was going for was more or less ruined by him wrestling with his umbrella, trying in vain to close it.  
  
“Oh, I just wanted some coffee,” he said. Water droplets splashed onto him. “I’ve become quite fond of Leblanc’s coffee, after all.” More water. “I thought I could use a little – _Akira, do you need help with that_?”  
  
“Maybe.”  
  
Goro sighed and got up to take the umbrella from him. He tried folding it, but upon closer inspection the little metal tab that needed to be pushed in was jammed. He pushed it with (what he considered) far more force than necessary, but it still wouldn’t budge, and now his fingers were starting to hurt.  
  
“Did you have to pick such a temperamental umbrella?” He said, maybe with a bit more snark than he usually allowed himself to use.  
  
“My other one broke, it was a very sad and sordid affair,” He said, and wiped an imaginary tear. “You’ll be forever missed, Sir Umbrella the Third.”  
  
“You can honour him by helping me un-jam Umbrella the Fourth,” Goro said, immediately wondering why he played along with that. “Just press on the metal bit with me.”  
  
So Akira did, and Goro was grateful for his gloves because _their hands were touching he did not think this through_ , and eventually they managed to fold the umbrella up.  
  
“Ayyy, we did it!” Akira cheered, and held his hand up for a high-five that Goro unthinkingly carried out, grinning like a madman. They were stood close to each other now, he could see Akira’s grey eyes up close and personal, why were they so _captivating_ \-   
  
“Don’t forget to mop up.”  
  
Goro jumped at the gruff voice of Sojiro Sakura and made sure to school his expression into something more _acceptable_ before turning around and saying ever so politely, “I can help, I made quite the mess too.”  
  
“Aw, honey, you’re too kind,” Akira jested, elbowing him playfully. Sakura was unimpressed.  
  
“I’m not having my customers clean up _your_ mess. You’ll get a mop and start cleaning.”  
  
Akira pulled a face, but there was no real irritation there.  
  
“ _Alright_ , let me just change and dump Morgana upstairs,” he said, and was halfway to the stairs before he turned back to Goro. “Oh, don’t leave, ‘kay?”  
  
He really should leave.  
  
“How come?” He asked instead of just _leaving_ like a normal person. “Surely you have other matters to attend to, right?”  
  
As if on cue, Akira’s text tone rang out through the café – several times at that. Goro raised his eyebrows in an _I-told-you-so_ manner and Akira stuck his tongue out. He didn’t even bother to check the messages.  
  
“Yeah, but I’d rather hang out here,” he said. Goro hoped he wasn’t imagining the unspoken ‘ _with you_ ’.  
  
“You _do_ realise I’m closing in a few minutes,” Sakura pointed out.  
  
“If you let him stay I’ll clean Leblanc top to bottom on Sunday,” Akira bargained, and Goro did his best not to look stunned at the lengths he was willing to go to get _him_ to stay. _Him_.  
  
Sakura let out a long-suffering sigh before tossing the keys over to Akira (who _of course_ caught them deftly). “I’ll hold you to that – no backing out at the last minute.”  
  
Akira gasped theatrically, putting a hand to his chest. “Sojiro, you _wound_ me! I’m a man of my word!”  
  
“You’re a nuisance is what you are,” Sakura retorted, but nevertheless he looked pleased enough as he got himself ready for the rain outside. He looked back to the two of them once he got to the door. “Behave yourselves, okay?”  
  
“Yes, Boss,” they said in unison, and Sakura looked like he regretted his decision already as he sighed and exited the store, leaving the two of them alone in Leblanc’s cosy warmth. Well, Morgana was there too, but currently Goro was pretending he couldn’t hear him so for all intents and purposes it was just him and Akira. Which was nice, he had to admit.  
  
Instead of going upstairs, Akira walked up to him and leant on the counter, looking up at him through his lashes. Were they always that long and thick? Why had Goro even noticed that in the first place?  
  
“Now that we’re alone,” he said in what was clearly meant to be a seductive voice (was flirting Akira’s favourite hobby?), “I’d _love it_ if you could... mop up the floor.”  
  
_Excuse me?_  
  
That better have not been the reason Akira wanted him to stay.  
  
Determined not to be outdone, Goro played along. He interlaced his fingers and leant forward, resting his chin on them, and looked at Akira through half-lidded eyes.  
  
“Oh, but I’m sure someone like _you_ could do it easily, hm?”  
  
Akira smirked. “But you _offered_ , honey. Or was that politeness earlier all a lie?”  
  
Shit.  
  
“Boss explicitly asked _you_ , did he not?” He countered. “I wouldn’t want to disobey his request.”  
  
Akira tutted. “Life is all about _revolution_ , darling.” He leant closer. “You and I both know it’s such a _thrill_ to flout authority. Don’t you want a thrill, honey?  
  
Goro leant closer still. He could smell Akira's vanilla shampoo. “I think I’d get a thrill enough from seeing _you_ push and pull that mop, _darling_.”  
  
Akira’s eyes widened and the first hints of a blush began to creep onto his cheeks. Goro’s smile grew wider. He had won. He pulled back smugly, and Akira pouted.  
  
“ _Fine_ , I’ll mop up, you jerk. I’ll be back in a bit,” he said, and made his way upstairs.  
  
“ _Stop flirting with Akechi_!” He heard Morgana yowl from the attic. Ah. So it wasn’t just him reading too much into it. Then again, he probably flirted with everyone, Morgana was most likely just against flirting with _Goro_ due to his public stance of being diametrically opposed to the Phantom Thieves. No matter, Akira’s flirting being non-exclusive wasn’t a problem. Goro certainly didn’t care.  
  
About ten minutes later Akira had come back downstairs in a fresh set of clothes and mopped up the water (not without rolling up his sleeves and flexing his arms and using the mop as a microphone for his – surprisingly well-sung - rendition of the Featherman Season Eight opening), and now he was behind the counter, handing Goro a fresh cup of coffee.  
  
“I _shouldn’t_ be giving you this because you made me mop up, but here you go, honey,” he said, setting it in front of Goro with a wink and a smile that made his chest feel funny. “Consider it a thank-you for helping me defeat my umbrella.”  
  
“Oh, thank you,” he replied, picking up the cup and taking a sip. The bitterness mixed with the sweet wonderfully, the milk just the right amount to make the taste absolutely perfect, every sip leaving him satisfied yet craving more. His shoulders relaxed and an easy smile crept onto his face. The smile he only let Akira see.  
  
“You know,” he began conversationally, “Sakura-san makes excellent coffee, there’s no doubt. You learnt from him, correct?”  
  
“Yep.”  
  
“I enjoy his coffee a lot. But...” he took another sip and lifted his gaze to meet Akira’s, “truth be told, I think your coffee tastes better.”  
  
Akira’s brow furrowed. “Huh?”  
  
“There’s only a slight difference between the two, but there’s a certain _touch_ to your coffee that Sakura-san’s lacks. I’m not _quite_ sure what it is, but then I’m not the coffee master, am I?” He elaborated. Akira still looked bemused.  
  
“Sojiro and I make the _exact_ same coffee, he said so himself,” Akira said. “Here, let me taste.”  
  
Before Goro could object Akira had stolen his cup and taken a quick sip, licking his lips afterwards (was he wearing _lipgloss_?) as if to get every last drop for tasting. He set Goro’s cup back down and a furtive glance at the rim told him that yes, Akira was wearing lipgloss. For some reason that gave him some sort of _feeling_.  
  
“Yep, tastes _exactly_ like Sojiro’s,” Akira determined. “I have _no_ idea what you’re talking about.”  
  
Now _Goro_ was perplexed. He took another sip, but it _still_ tasted different. _How_ it tasted different, he didn’t know.  
  
“Maybe you just have a certain touch that most people miss,” he suggested. Akira shook his head.  
  
“Every time I try and put a little love in it the coffee always tastes bad, you’d know if it was my touch ‘cause you’d be _actually_ recoiling.”  
  
“Hm.”  
  
He took another sip. _Still_ different. Why did it taste different?   
  
“Perhaps you heap your teaspoons of sugar differently,” Goro mused, “or you put slightly more milk in.”  
  
“You’re clutching at straws, Sojiro taught me well.”  
  
“Perhaps you... perhaps your tastes aren’t as discerning as mine?”  
  
He was _definitely_ clutching at straws.  
  
Goro sighed, taking another sip of his _definitely different_ coffee. “I suppose this will have to remain a mystery.”  
  
Akira leant back against the shelves with his head tilted and looked at Goro as if he was a very interesting specimen underneath a microscope.  
  
“I suppose it will,” was all he said. A burning curiosity filled Goro, but he didn’t bother pressing the issue. It wasn’t of importance, anyway. Akira might _say_ he made coffee exactly like Sakura, but how likely was that, _really_? Akira had moved here just a few months ago; Sakura had been making this coffee for a fair few _years_. He knew Akira was some sort of lucky bastard with a strong heart that irritated the hell out of Goro, but even _he_ had to be imperfect in some regards.  
  
“ _Anyway,_ ” Akira said, coming back to lean on the counter, “let’s talk about how you were tapping your foot to my Featherman singing.”  
  
He opened his mouth in awe dramatically. “Are _you_ a secret Featherman fanboy, detective?”  
  
Oh lord.  
  
\------  
  
The bell chimed as Goro entered the familiar warmth of Leblanc from the chilly October air, the sweet aroma of coffee and curry giving him a feeling of _home_ he hadn’t felt in years.  
  
“Oh, welcome home!”  
  
Goro’s attention snapped to the kitchen area where Akira waved at him, hands wet from washing dishes. This was new.  
  
He quirked an eyebrow. “Honey, I’m home.”  
  
Seemingly delighted, Akira replied with, “You’re back awfully late!”  
  
Sakura looked like he’d rather be anywhere else.  
  
Goro sat down at his usual seat, cocking his head as he looked at Akira.  
  
“How come you’re here so early?” He asked. Akira shrugged, drying a mug now.  
  
“I didn’t really feel like going out anywhere today.”  
  
“Bad day?” Akira was _always_ out somewhere, but he shook his head.  
  
“Just tired. I stayed up late doing my History homework ‘cause, y’know, I only remembered about it at midnight.”  
  
“I thought I told you to keep track of your studies?” Sakura said. Akira pouted.  
  
“I get stuff done! I wrote _three whole pages_ about the fall of the USSR, the teacher said we only needed two.”  
  
“Oh, I remember studying that,” Goro said, “I rather liked the topic. What was the central theme of your essay?”  
  
Akira rubbed the back of his neck with a sheepish grin. “Yeah, I wrote it whilst half-asleep, I don’t even remember the points I made. Kinda feel sorry for my teacher...”  
  
Sakura cast Akira an annoyed glance, but let it go. Goro just laughed. He liked it when Akira messed up. It meant he wasn’t anything _special_ , anything out of the ordinary. It meant he was _like Goro_.  
  
“Perhaps we could have a discussion once you get your paper back?” He suggested, fingers in a steeple. “You do have _interesting_ viewpoints, after all.”  
  
“It’s a date,” Akira said with a wink. Goro fought not to blush. He _really_ needed to stop with the senseless flirting.  
  
“I look forward to it,” he replied. “Although it’s probably for the best we’re discussing this another day – I myself have homework to be doing right now, and getting myself into one of our discussions would not be good for my grades, don’t you think?”  
  
He opened up his briefcase and retrieved the necessary equipment (textbooks, notebook, pencil case, etc.). As usual, it all cluttered his entire space. Akira raised his eyebrows from the kitchen.  
  
“Is that what you do when I’m not here?”  
  
“Essentially. It’s very riveting.”  
  
The other boy grinned like the Cheshire Cat. “Aw, honey, you must _love_ it when I come home. My pretty detective prince, trapped with his odious textbooks, waiting for his dashing thief to steal him away!”  
  
_Thief, huh?_  
  
Goro raised an eyebrow. Akira raised one right back. They both knew they were playing a dangerous game. Akira was a fool if he assumed Goro didn’t know about his thievery. _Goro_ was a fool if he assumed Akira thought he was merely a detective.  
  
“What makes you think I want to be stolen away? Perhaps I’m quite content up in my tower,” Goro responded, playing along. Just in case the Phantom Thief slipped up and revealed something damning. Nothing more.  
  
Akira shrugged, making his way over to Goro with a cocky smirk gracing his lips. The tap was still on. “You can kid yourself you’re a bright, studious, handsome prince,” he leant down on the counter, face _very_ close to Goro’s, “but _I_ know you’d rather play with the thief in the shadows.”  
  
Goro suppressed a shiver. He _couldn’t_ lose. Instead, he met Akira’s gaze with equal intensity, his brown eyes staring into Akira’s too-grey, too-pretty ones.  
  
“Oh? And what do you think we could...” he let his gaze drop downwards then pulled it back up, his lips slightly parted, “ _play_?”  
  
He could flirt too.  
  
Akira’s smirk widened. His tongue peeked out as he licked his lips, slowly, deliberately, entici-  
  
“Oi, shop’s still open, take it elsewhere.”  
  
Goro jumped back like he’d been scorched and his head whipped round at lightning speed, terror taking hold of him _oh God what if someone saw what was he THINKING_ –  
  
Just them.  
  
Well, and Sakura.  
  
“You alright?” Akira asked, sounding decidedly concerned for someone who was his _enemy_. He looked down at his textbooks as he tried to compose his expression into something palatable.  
  
“I’m fine, thank you,” he said. Akira didn’t look all that convinced and Goro was going to assure him that yes he was _fine stop getting in his business_ but then he leant forward to peer at Goro’s open Chemistry textbook, seemingly _very_ interested in nucleophilic addition-elimination. Sakura was thankfully turned towards the TV.  
  
“He can keep a secret,” Akira whispered, and it was like a weight had been lifted off his chest.  
  
“Nothing happened in the first place,” Goro hissed back, because the alternative was too terrifying to consider. Akira just gave him a _look_ , but didn’t press the issue. Instead, he turned to go back to the kitchen.  
  
“I’ll let you get back to your work, detective.”  
  
So Goro did. He went back to his odious textbook, dutifully writing out mechanisms and drawing out esters and carboxylic acids like the studious honour student everyone thought him to be when all he wanted was to rip up the pages and watch them burn. Would Akira watch them burn with him? Probably. Akira would make a very good arsonist. In another life they could have burnt down government buildings together and kissed each other’s faces off amidst the ashes of the establishment, the acrid smell of smoke and the feel of each other’s lips ensnaring their senses. Wouldn’t _that_ be hot?  
  
Wow.  
  
Where had _that_ come from?  
  
He did _not_ like Akira. Not at all. He wasn’t _stupid_ , and liking Akira would be a _very stupid decision_ indeed. His life was precise, calculated down to the very last letter. Akira may have been an unfortunate wildcard thrown into the mix, but _he could deal with it_.  
  
“Here, your coffee.”  
  
Goro snapped out of his reverie to see a hot cup of coffee in front of him, courtesy of Sakura.  
  
“Thank you,” he said, and took an appreciative sip. Obviously it didn’t give him the same feeling as Akira’s, but it was still good. He smiled. “Amazing as always, Sakura-san. I believe that’s five hundred yen?”  
  
He reached for his wallet but Sakura stopped him.  
  
“It’s on the house today,” he said gruffly. Goro looked up at him, surprised. Coffee from Sakura had _never_ been on the house before. Akira’s coffee, yes. He got that for free quite a lot. But then, this wasn’t Akira’s coffee.  
  
Shit, was it because of what happened earlier?  
  
“A-are you sure? I have the funds,” Goro persisted, but Sakura shook his head again.  
  
“Kid, word of advice – take free stuff when you can.”  
  
Sakura clearly wouldn’t budge on this, so Goro just put his wallet back and took another sip.  
  
“Thank you, you’re too kind,” he said, and for once it wasn’t an empty pleasantry. Sakura just waved idly.  
  
“Yeah, yeah.”  
  
Several more minutes passed, in which Goro got more Chemistry done with the caffeine boost by his side.   
  
“Here, Akira, think you can manage the store? I need to get groceries,” Sakura said.  
  
“I mean, there’s not much to watch, there’s basically no one here – Akechi doesn’t count,” Akira pointed out, then added, “sorry honey, love you!”  
  
“The point still stands, take care of the shop. I’ll be back in about half an hour.”  
  
“See ya,” Akira said, and just after Sakura left he groaned. “I forgot to ask him to get instant ramen!”  
  
“Can’t you ask him now? He _just_ left.”  
  
Akira shrugged. “Can’t be bothered, I’ll just buy it myself.”  
  
“Hm, fair point.”  
  
He went back to work on his tiresome questions, but he couldn’t for long because Akira came up to the opposite side of the counter, leaning on it slightly.  
  
“How’s your Chemistry?” He asked as if he gave a damn about it.  
  
“Not bad. Nucleophilic addition-elimination is fairly easy to remember, but regurgitating the mechanisms countless times _is_ a rather tedious task.” He took another sip of the coffee, a satisfied smile playing on his lips. “This coffee is greatly helping me, though.”  
  
Then, just to enhance the conversation, he added, “It _is_ missing your certain touch, however. I wouldn’t object to a cup of _your_ coffee later tonight.”  
  
Akira looked at him oddly, head tilted and eyes narrowed in confusion.  
  
“ _I_ made your coffee.”  
  
_What_?  
  
“S-Sakura-san handed it to me, though,” Goro stammered.  
  
“Yeah, ‘cause I went back to clean stuff. He was closer to you so he delivered it,” Akira explained. Goro looked down at his coffee, eyebrows knotted.  
  
“Are you _sure_ you made it?”  
  
“I’ve never been surer of anything, honey.”  
  
Akira leant back against the shelves, hands in his pocket with an easy smile. Why did he look like a cat who’d got the cream?  
  
“Taste it again.”  
  
So he did. And... it tasted like Akira’s coffee? There was no mistaking that certain _taste_ sending him to heaven.  
  
What the fuck was going on.  
  
“I... must have been mistaken,” he said tentatively. “This does actually taste like yours.”  
  
Akira’s smile only widened.  
  
Goro set his cup down and tented his fingers, gaze boring into Akira’s. This was a mystery and he _would_ find the answer.  
  
“You have a theory.” He said. Akira shrugged.  
  
“Maybe.”  
  
“Would you mind telling me what it is? You and I could work this case together.”  
  
Akira leant onto the counter again, face so close Goro could see his individual eyelashes.  
  
“I _could_ , but don’t you have homework, Mr. Detective?”  
  
He did his level best not to scowl. “Won’t you be my dashing thief and whisk me away?”  
  
Akira looked at him – really _looked_ , as if he was seeing into the truth of Goro’s entire being, and he suddenly felt decidedly exposed and fought not to squirm – then dropped his gaze, a sad sort of smile tugging at his lips.  
  
“I don’t think you’re ready to leave your tower, Mr. Detective,” he said, tone soft and... _wistful_? Goro hadn’t heard him this unguarded in a while. Then he leant back again with his arms folded, the glare on his glasses hiding his piercing eyes.  
  
“You haven’t finished your homework after all,” he finished, back to his normal self. “I wouldn’t want my favourite detective’s grades to drop.”  
  
This goddamn _Chemistry_.  
  
“I suppose you have a point,” Goro conceded with a sigh, “but I _will_ solve this mystery. It would be quite embarrassing if Watson solved the case before Holmes, wouldn’t you say?”  
  
Akira shrugged. “Even Holmes had a few blind spots.”  
  
“And you think I have blind spots?”  
  
“Of course.” And then, almost as an afterthought, or maybe he couldn’t decide whether he wanted Goro to hear, “I’d like to help you see them, though.”  
  
\------  
  
“ _Oh my God_.”  
  
Goro bolted upright, alarming Akira who was snuggled up beside him in their bed.   
  
“What?”  
  
“I – your coffee! I solved the mystery!”  
  
Akira rubbed his eyes blearily, his engagement ring shining in the light of the laptop screen. They’d been watching a movie but Akira had evidently been dozing off.  
  
“ _What_ mystery?’  
  
“Your coffee!” He exclaimed. “It _is_ the same as Boss’ – I only think yours tastes better because _I love you_!”  
  
It all made _sense_ now!  
  
Akira didn’t look impressed by his revelation though – if anything, he looked _amused_.  
  
“Did you _really_ only just figure that out?” He asked, a note of incredulity in his voice. Goro furrowed his brow.  
  
“What, did _you_ figure it out before?”  
  
Akira laughed. “Honey, I figured it out _years_ ago.”  
  
“ _What_.”  
  
“Yeah, I kinda knew what was going on as soon as the mystery popped up,” he said nonchalantly, as if this puzzle hadn’t sat in the back of Goro’s mind for _five years_.  
  
“ _How_?! _I_ was the detective!”  
  
“Yeah, but remember how I said you had a few blind spots? The answer to the mystery was _in_ the blind spot.”  
  
Suddenly, it clicked.  
  
“My blind spot was realising I had feelings for you,” he said. Of _course_.  
  
“Yep,” Akira confirmed. “I didn’t bring it up ‘cause I knew you’d deny it ‘till you were blue in the face.”  
  
Goro pondered this for a moment. “I definitely would have,” he decided.  
  
Akira smiled, then pressed a little kiss to Goro’s shoulder.  
  
“At least you admit you love me now.”  
  
Goro laughed, threading his fingers through Akira’s soft hair. Back then he’d shut himself off from his feelings, done mental gymnastics to prove Akira was nothing more than intel to him, and that he was nothing more than intel to Akira. Now, however...  
  
“And you love me too.”  
  
Now he revelled in the love he gave, and the love he received.  
  
He got there in the end.

**Author's Note:**

> Oh Goro you stupid oblivious idiot
> 
> Anyway this is for Day Two of Soft Goro Week, and the prompt was Coffee/Sweets! There's,,,,, not many sweets in this fic, but there is coffee! 
> 
> The Shuake banter was fun to write though honestly every time I read this fic back to myself it's like I can see Sojiro in the background just wishing he was aNYWHERE else. I'm sorry you have to witness this my dude
> 
> Also I've written some Royal spoilers below so please don't read on if you don't want Royal spoilers!! Avert your eyes! Shoo!
> 
> \---------------------
> 
> Okay so if you want Royal spoilers - before the end segment I was going to write in another segment on 2/2 where Akira invites Goro back in after he leaves Leblanc and they drink coffee together 'cause Akira wants to give him one last coffee except when Goro tastes it it tastes unusually bitter and leaves a bad taste in his mouth, and Goro thinks Akira's just off his game or something but it's actually 'cause when Akira handed him his coffee he looked like he was trying to memorise every inch of Goro's face and his gaze was steady but he looked two seconds away from crying and then when Akira sits next to him his shoulders are hunched and Goro knows that if Akira was by himself he'd be crying. Basically Akira's emotional state affects how much Goro likes the coffee.
> 
> \---------------
> 
> Okay Royal spoilers over and thank you for reading!


End file.
